Power Of One: Little Miracles, Parts One and Two
by Kanaydian Dragon
Summary: Something unusual is up with Skyfire. Sorry for the short spoiler, but I don't want to risk giving away too much. 11th in the series.
1. Chapter 1

LITTLE MIRACLES: PART ONE 

Skyfire is my own character. All others belong to their creators, Wendy and Richard Pini.

All words contained within # # are mental speech.

Begins 8 months after Fire and Flight.

* * *

Skyfire sighed as she stared down at her belly and the open ties of her breeches. Over the past few eight-of-days, her stomach had been slowly expanding... breasts and backside, too, come to think of it, but not as much as her belly. Now she could barely close the ties to her breeches. 

Not doubt about it now - for some unexplained reason, she was getting fat.

She smoothed her hands down over her ribs to cup her belly as she continued to contemplate the changes in ehr body. Her mind searched for an answer, any kind of explanation, but could come up with nothing.

Eyes High entered her daughter's cave den and saw her standing near the far wall, looking down with her hands cupped over her belly. Eyes High frowned when Skyfire failed to acknowledge her presence. Had Skyfire even noticed she was there?

"Skyfire?" When Skyfire's head whipped up to look at her, wearing a surprised expression, Eyes High realized then that she had been totally unaware of her presence.

Skyfire quickly averted her gaze. She was embarassed to feel tears flood her eyes and she sniffed loudly, trying to hold them back.

Eyes High went to Skyfire and placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping a firm grip even when Skyfire initially flinched. Eyes High placed a hand on Skyfire's chin and turned her wet gaze back to hers. Suddenly Skyfire embraced her, burying her face in her neck. She began to sob, shaking both of them with the force of her cries.

#Oh, mother, I'm scared!# Skyfire's mind voice wailed. #I don't know what's happening to my body! and Leetah senses nothing...#

"Hush, my pretty cub," Eyes High soothed, stroking Skyfire's hair. "I'm sure it will turn out to be not as bad as you think."

#You really believe that?#

"I do," Eyes High replied, nodding.

#How... how do we find out what's going on with my body?# Skyfire sniffed. Her tears began to slow.

"We'll go talk to Savah. She is the oldest elf we know. With the knowledge she possesses, I'm sure that she will know what's happening to you." Eyes High wiped the tears from Skyfire's face. Skyfire gave a few hiccoughing sobs, then managed a weak smile.

"Let's go see her now," Eyes High said, smiling back at Skyfire.

#But... but what about the gathering?# Skyfire asked, surprised at her mother's suggestion.

"They can wait, or begin without us. But I'm sure you wouldn't be able to enjoy tonight in the state you're in right now."

Eyes High helped Skyfire with her ties. Not that Skyfire really minded. In her precarious emotional state, she wanted comfort and there was no one better than her mother to give it to her.

Hand in hand, they went together to Savah's hut. The sun was setting, the sky already half-darkened by the coming night. When they reached Savah's hut, the windows were lit up by candles.

Eyes High entered through the beaded curtain first, pulling Skyfire gently through behind her by the grip she held on her daughter's hand.

"Savah?" Eyes High called softly.

"I am here," came the reply. Savah appeared from another room, gliding regally into their presence. "How may I help you two?"

Skyfire lowered her eyes.

"It is my daughter," Eyes High replied, since Skyfire could not. "She is worried about something that is happening to her body, but Leetah can sense nothing wrong."

Savah approached slowly, stopping in front of Skyfire. She tilted the much-younger elf's head up to meet her steady gaze and smiled reassuringly. "Come," she said gently. "Come and sit for a while so that we can learn what is going on within you."

Eyes High and Skyfire followed Savah over to a bench situated close to her throne. Skyfire sat on it while Eyes High stood behind her and placed her hands on Skyfire's shoulders. Savah sat on Skyfire's left side and placed her hands on Skyfire's forehead and over her heart. All three elves closed their eyes as Savah began to probe gently with her mind.

At some point, the hand Savah held over Skyfire's heart moved lower to cup the slight swell of her belly. Savah smiled serenely, the expression gone unnoticed by the other two.

Skyfire felt Savah's calming energy flow into her and fill her up, offering vast amounts of reassurance to her poor soul. Her fears drifted away into the back of her mind, hopefully not to return. It took her some moments to realize that Savah's hands had left her. She opened her eyes.

Savah smiled down at her, as if she held the secret to the stars in that one look. "You are with cub, child."

The only way to describe what those words caused Skyfire to feel was complete shock. #But...# She started to send, but switched to speaking instead. "But... Savah, how can that be? I haven't Recognized anyone."

"Your body is special," Savah replied. "It can bear many cubs without the need for Recognition. This particular trait seems to have been shared among all the maidens of your birth tribe, from what I have been able to gather from your memories. How this came to be doesn't seem to be held within your mind, though."

The details mattered not to Skyfire - at that moment and probably not any of the many others to come. She cradled her hands tenderly around her belly and looked down, trying to envision it growing to the size of a large, ripe melon. She giggled unexpectedly. "Oh, Savah, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!" She threw her arms around Savah and hugged her enthusiastically. After a moment she quickly pulled back, blushing. She had just hugged an elf that was the closest being to a High One that any of the Wolfriders had ever seen!

"I-" Skyfire began.

Savah raised a hand, effectively cutting her off. "It is quite alright, child. Too many elves treat me as if I were made of glass. It is nice to be around those who occasionally remember that I am not." So saying, she brought Skyfire back to her and gave her a hug, albeit a more gentle one that what she had received.

Eyes High, unable to resist the temptation, hugged them both.

"So tell me..." Savah said a short time later, once the three-way hug had ended. she took Skyfire's hands in both of hers. "Who is the sire of this surprise cub?"

Skyfire's expression went suddenly blank. The news of the cub was still so fresh in her mind that she hadn't given a thought toward its sire. "I... I'm not sure," she said. She frowned thoughtfully. "The sire could be any one of three, I think."

"You think?" Savah asked gently and not unkindly.

Skyfire nodded. "Cutter and I were lovemates before we came to Sorrow's End. But we haven't joined since he Recognized Leetah."

"I think we can count him out as a possible sire," Savah said. "I believe that Leetah's healing of you in the desert triggered your body to... start a breeding cycle," she finished as tactfully as she could.

"Then two..." Skyfire said slowly. Truthfully, she was a little relieved that Cutter was not the cub's sire. He and Leetah, lifemated through the bonds of Recognition, were still having their occasional difficulties as they settled into their life together. She wouldn't want to add any additional stress to their lives.

"Redlance?" Eyes High guessed. She knew her daughter and Redlance had always remained close, even after his lifemating to Nightfall. That friendship had soon grown to include Nightfall, and the three would occasionally join in sharing pleasure.

Skyfire nodded. She had an invitation to join Nightfall and Redlance for a wrestle in the furs pretty much any time she wanted to. It was an invitation she had taken them up on occasionally, even in Sorrow's end.

"Which leaves only one other to be revealed," Savah said, prodding gently. She raised an eyebrow in question.

Skyfire looked from Savah to Eyes High, down to the floor, then back up to Savah again. She took a deep breath and uttered one word - a name.

"Rayek."

To say that Savah and Eyes High were surprised by the admission was something of an understatement.

"It wasn't long after his loss of challenge to Cutter that we happened to find each other. I wanted to help him and... well, becoming lovemates - even if just for a short time - was the only thing I could think of. I'd like to think I helped him, if only a little." Skyfire looked at Sava and Eyes High several times in turn, wondering what their thoughts were on the matter.

"Well, once the cub arrives, the answer of who the sire is should be answered then," eyes High said. "But for now we'd best be getting to the gathering and let the tribe know that there will be two cubs arriving late next turn."

Skyfire gasped. "The gathering! I completely forgot!" She jumped to her feet. "Thank you, Savah. You've made me very happy." She hugged Savah impulsively then reached for Eyes High's hand. "Come, Mother! I want to get there before Pike gets into the dreamberries. Otherwise he'll probably forget!"

Laughing, Eyes High allowed Skyfire to drag her along as she ran out of Savah's hut. "If Pike actually forgets such news, the sight of your growing belly over the coming moon cycles is sure to remind him!"

Savah smiled with gentle amusement as she watched the pair leave her home. For a moment, Skyfire had become a cub again, showing childish delight over a precious give unexpectedly bestowed for no reason.

Savah had been surprised at Skyfire's admission that Rayek was a possible sire for her cub. She had not expected that Rayek would willingly mix with any of the Wolfriders. Oh well, even the Mother of Memory could still be surprised upon occasion. She found herself hoping - just a little - that the cub would have Rayek's blood. Rayek was missed by a few of the Sun Folk - herself included - and having a little piece of him still around would be a comfort to those that he'd left behind.

* * *

Skyfire and Eyes High arrived at the howl-place a little out of breath, drawing curious stares from those already assembled. 

"Please forgive us if we've made you all wait for our arrival," Eyes High said when she'd managed to catch her breath. "But Skyfire and I had to to see Savah and... well, its really for my daughter to say what we learned there." Smiling widely, knowing the shock the others were all about to receive, Eyes High tugged Skyfire forward.

"I am with cub!" Skyfire blurted out. She laughed delightedly.

Everyone seemed to start talking all at once, offering Skyfire their congradulations.

"My sister, the lifebearer!" Skywise exclaimed with joy. Although he had no wish for Recognition and cubs of his own, he was honestly happy for Skyfire and the new life that was blossoming within her. He put his hands at her waist, lifted her above his head, and twirled them both around in a small circle. When he lowered her, she was a little dizzy and clung to him for support.

"So which of the villagers did you Recognize?" Skywise asked. He reasoned that if the cub's sire had been a Wolfrider, he would have been standing next to Skyfire when the announcement of the cub had been made.

"That's just it, my brother. I am not sure who the cub's sire is. It was conceived outside of Recognition." Skyfire looked to Eyes High for help with this part of the explanation.

So Eyes High told the tribe of Savah's revelations - Skyfire's gift of many cubs, Leetah's role in triggering a breeding cycle, everything.

As Eyes High talked, everyone listened growing amazement. Because of this, no one appeared to notice the troubled silence of two of their tribe members.

Redlance and Nightfall both knew what Skyfire's newly-discovered cub meant. Neither was aware of Skyfire having taken other lovemates besides themselves since coming to Sorrow's End so their natural assumption was that the unexpected cub had been sired by Redlance, despite Skyfire's assertion that she didn't know who the cub's sire was. Redlance had at first been delighted by the idea that he would be a father. But one look at Nightfall's pained expression quickly dampened his enthusiasm.

#Nightfall?# Redlance sent. He took her hand in his.

Nightfall looked at Redlance and managed a weak smile. #I'm sorry. I should be happy for you and Skyfire about this cub, but all I can think of is how much I wish it was me who would be the cub's mother.#

Redlance cupped his other hand over Nightfall's cheek. #Everything will work out. You'll see.#

Nightfall's smile was a little more genuine this time, if still a little sad.

"So who is the cub's sire?"

The question, though a natural-enough one to be asked under such circumstances, still came as a bit of a surprise. Redlance and Nightfall separated and stood together.

"I'm sure that most - if not all - of you are aware that Redlance," Skyfire paused long enough to glance at Redlance and away before she continued, "is the most likely sire, but there is another - a villager - who could also have sired the cub I carry."

Skywise burst out laughing. "Surely you jest, sister! Was it not you who claimed just a few moon cycles ago that taking one of the Sun Folk males for a lovemate was like putting a wolf with a zwoot fawn? After all, the only one clearly not similar to that group is Rayek, and -" He stopped speaking when a sickly-looking smile appeared on Skyfire's face.

"You didn't!" Skywise exclaimed in surprise. His jaw dropped in shock a moment later when Skyfire nodded slowly. "You did!"

"Well, whether Wolfrider or Sunfolk lad turns out to be the sire," Cutter said as he got up and walked toward Skyfire, "your cub will be welcome in this tribe and its birth will be celebrated just like any other cub's." He laid a hand on Skyfire's belly and she covered it with one of her own.

"Thank you, Cutter. Your words are most welcome to my ears."

* * *

They would continue with the howl that night as planned. Skyfire deliberately ignored Redlance and Nightfall - as they did her - knowing that they needed time to deal with the idea of a cub that had one of two chances to be carrying Redlance's blood. 

When the howl slowly came to an end and the Wolfriders began to leave the howl-place for their sleeping furs, Skyfire looked over at Redlance and Nightfall. Once they met her gaze, she nodded once at them. Redlance returned the single nod with one of his own while Nightfall looked away. Skyfire left for her solitary den, determined in that moment that she would let Redlance and Nightfall approach her when they were ready so that the three of them would discuss the future of the cub she carried. After all, as Redlance's lifemate, Nightfall was automatically involved in his decisions regading the unborn cub in Skyfire's womb.

But Skyfire wouldn't wait forever for that talk which she considered to be so necessary. She wanted to hear directly from Redlance and Nightfall, the choices they had decided upon before she birthed this cub.

Unknown at the moment, it would be with a small sense of uncertainty and emotional discomfort that Skyfire, Redlance, and Nightfall met several days later to talk about their cub.

In the days following Skyfire's announcement regarding the cub, relations between Skyfire and her lifemated friends had been regrettably strained.

* * *

"Oh, Moonshade, this is beautiful! Thank you so much!" Skyfire exclaimed as she examined the new clothing that Moonshade had just presented her with. 

Moonshade smiled with pleasure at the compliment. As always, she was filled with a sense of pride and self-worth to see such joy in the faces of her tribemates whenever she made them new clothing.

"What are these for?" Skyfre asked. She was examining the top, which had been made from the hides of a litter of mountain lion cubs. Strongbow, who was Moonshade's own lifemate, had slain the mother, then sent her carcass back to the vilaage while he and a few others had gone in search of the mother's litter to give the young animals a swift death rather than letting them suffer slowly. When Nightfall had taken charge of the pelts, she had instantly decided to keep the short, golden-brown and black-spotted fur rather than scraping it off - what she normally would have done when preparing hides meant for warm weather clothing.

The things that Skyfire was currently asking about were two long strips of hide that sprouted from where the wearer's hips would be when the garment was worn and dangled down past the shirt's bottom hem.

"Those are something I recently thought of. I made the tunic in anticipation of the size you will be in the last few months of your pregnancy rather than waiting to add in strips of leather as it becomes necessary to do so. These straps will help mould the tunic to fit the shape of your body. I got the idea from watching one of the village maidens donning what the Sun Folk call an 'apron' before she went to bake bread."

Skyfire was eager to try the tunic on. She handed it back to Moonshade so that she could remove her current top - which covered her breasts, shoulders, and part of her back. Moonshade helped Skyfire slide the top on corrently, then moved behind the pregnant elf to tie the long strips together. She knotted them once and tied a bow on top. That way Skyfire could easily undo it berself if she wanted to.

Skyfire smoothed her hands down her belly, admiring the softness of the hide and the comfortable fit. "Very clever," she complimented.

The breeches were made from the hide of the mother mountain lion and should hopefully last for several moon cycles. Skyfire sighed happily once she'd tried the lacings at her front and lowered the shirt back into place.

"Skyfire?"

Skyfire's gaze shot toward the entrance of her den upon hearing the unmistakable sound of Redlance's voice calling her name. Sure enough, he was standing there at the entrance, with Nightfall standing by his side.

Moonshade gathered up Skyfire's discarded clothing - there was very little wear in the leathers and they could still be put to good use elsewhere - and left quickly, nodding politely to Redlance and Nightfall on her way out.

"Come in," Skyfire said once the three of them were alone. They joined hands briefly in greeting and Skyfire found it somewhat reassuring despite the fact the both of her friends looked unsure of themselves.

"So... how have you been these last few days?" Nightfall asked.

"I've been good, though I've been missing both of you," Skyfire admitted honestly. "I'm sorry that this," she cupped her belly with both hands, "has come between us."

"No, it is I who should be sorry," Nightfall was quick to say. She moved forward and placed her hands over Skyfire's. "I let envy come between us, envy over your gift of many cubs and that the first cub would... could be sired by my own lifemate, when I could not do the same. We would have come to you sooner but..."

"But you needed time to come to terms with this new life. I understand, truly," Skyfire said honestly. "And I don't think its just envy. Your love bond with Redlance is already so strong that the only way it could be made stronger is for you to give him a cub of your blood and his." Skyfire pulled her hands from beneath Nightfall's, then laid them over top, trapping Nightfall's hands lightly against her belly. "You can't change how you feel, nor should you. Now that this cub is coming, I wouldn't wish it away even if I had the power to do so. But if it was within my powers, I would have you carrying Redlance's cub right now."

"High Ones save me from that fate! Imagine having to look after two strong-willed pregnant maidens at the same time!" Redlance exclaimed in jest, trying to lighten the mood.

Skyfire and Nightfall both turned and punched him, wearing similar frowns.

Redlance held his hands up in mock defense and started to laugh. Skyfire and Nightfall cracked a smile.

"So what do you want to do?" Skyfire asked a short time later.

"We want you to come live with us in our cave den," Redlance said. Nightfall nodded, backing up her lifemate's statement.

Skyfire looked like she was considering it for a moment before she answered. "That is easy enough to agree to, but what I speak of concerns the roles you want to fill in this cub's life."

"I want to be a father to this cub," Redlance said, his eyes trained on Skyfire's. "It is of my blood-"

"Could be," Skyfire interrupted, speaking gently. "Could be," she repeated. "Remember, Rayek has an equal chance of being the sire."

Redlance nodded slowly, recognizing Skyfire's words as truth.

"What would you do if this cub comes out with brown skin and yellow eyes?"

"Rayek is not here to be a father to this cub... if he is the sire. I... I would be a father to this cub whether or not it carries my blood... If that is also your wish."

"Good," Skyfire said, nodding approvingly. She smiled. "I had hoped you would. But the cub will know of Rayek if it is of his blood. He or she will be made to think of you both as 'father.' Is that acceptable to you?"

"It is," Redlance replied with the briefest of hesitations.

"And Nightfall..." Skyfire returned her attention to the other elf maiden. "What place do you see yourself taking in this cub's life?"

Nightfall was caught unawares by the question. "I... had not given it much thought. But I would like to help you care for your cub, if you'll let me."

Skyfire took Nightfall's hand within one of hers. "I will. In fact, I would like this cub to consider you a second mother."

"A second... m-mother?" Nightfall stammered. Her expression clearly stated her stunned surprise over Skyfire's announcement more clearly than her words.

Skyfire nodded. She turned to Redlance and reached for his hand with her free one. "We three are in this together now. I can't ask for anything less than to share this cub's life equally with both of you."

* * *

Author's Note: I had planned on writing a story about Rayek and Skyfire's brief romance and another containing the cub's conception, but every time I tried to start it, it just never seemed right. Besides, this way I figured there'd be some shock value when Skyfire revealed Rayek as a possible father to her cub. 


	2. Chapter 2

LITTLE MIRACLES: PART TWO 

Skyfire is my own character. All others belong to their creators, Wendy and Richard Pini. 

All words contained within # # are mental speech. 

Starts 2 years and 1 month after Fire and Flight.

* * *

Skyfire dearly loved the cub growing inside her, but she was getting damned tired of being pregnant! 

She felt sleepy much of the time, her back ached from carrying all of the cub weight up front, and her moods jumped all over the place, often changing from one breath to the next. Mostly, her moods gravitated from either irritation - of varying degrees - or crying. And that was often over situations that didn't warrant such reactions. 

Her relationship with Nightfall was becoming strained as a result. Nightfall tried hard to be patient with Skyfire, but it was difficult for her to understand how her once-normal friend could have changed so drastically in less than two years. She felt it must have something to do with Skyfire's pregnancy, though wasn't completely positive that was truly the cause. After all, Rainsong had remained herself through both of her pregnancies. Moonshade had not seemed to change through hers, though she had seemed to cry a little more towards the end. Cearbrook and Rillfisher - who had birthed Scouter and Dewshine, respectfully - she had a harder time remembering how they had fared, but could recall nothing out of the ordinary having happened. 

Redlance, with his gentle nature, was better equipped to deal with this new Skyfire. He seemed to have an endless amount of patience in his dealings with the pregnant elf - he just took everything that she dealt him without complaint or sign of irritation. Nightfall continually wished she had that same kind of patience. Often, when she showed her irritation around Skyfire, the pregnant elf would start crying. That only served to increase the level of Nightfall's irritation. 

The only peace that seemed to exist between all three of them these days was when they joined for pleasure or when they slept. 

Atleast Skyfire wouldn't be pregnant much longer - hopefully not more than another full moon cycle at most. It was impossible to know just when Skyfire had conceived - if they knew that, then figuring who the birth father was might be an easier thing to figure out before the cub came. Redlance would be a father to the cub no matter whose blood it carried, but Nightfall knew that Redlance did hope the cub was his - not that he would love it any less if it wasn't!

* * *

Nightfall returned to the hut she shared with Redlance and Skyfire to find her lifemate sitting just outside. He was experimenting with his plant-shaping powers by working on a small cactus. Or rather, what had used to be a small cactus. Redlance was making it grow and twist into interesting shapes that would soon form an arch over the entrance. 

Redlance stopped what he was doing as soon as he noticed Nightfall's approach. He turned and smiled up at her. "How was the hunt?" 

"We didn't catch much this time out. Skywise gave me his lone rabbit for Skyfire." She indicated the dead ravvit hanging tied at her waist. 

"That was nice of him," Redlance commented as he stood. He dusted the sand off of his breeches and went to embrace Nightfall, nuzzling her face affectionately. 

"So where is our mother-to-be?" Nightfall asked as she returned Redlance's embrace. Closing her eyes, she savored the closeness she shared with him. 

"Sleeping. She only fell asleep around dawn, after I gave her a back rub." 

That had been about an hour ago, Nightfall quickly calculated. "Well... why don't we go down to the hot pool together? We could bathe... among other things," she said teasingly. It was rare that she and Redlance found time to be alone with each other these days. 

Redlance looked over his shoulder at the hut, thinking about Skyfire. The pregnant elf would likely sleep for several hours - until noon, atleast, if past behaviour was any indication - so she probably wouldn't need him until then. He turned back to Nightfall and smiled. "Let's go, then. But we should leave this near Skyfire just in case she wakes and is hungry." Redlance indicated the ravvit still hanging at Nightfall's waist. 

Nightfall agreed. She entered the hut silently and left the ravvit, along with her belt knife, near the circular sleeping pit where Skyfire currently slept so that she would be able to see it when she woke. Then, just as silently as she had come, Nightfall got up and left.

* * *

Skyfire woke a short time later - the scent of freshly killed meat having teased her from her rest. Seeing the ravvit and Nightfall's own knife laying next to it, she gave silent thanks to Nightfall for leaving it for her. She felt sorry for having put Nightfall through such a rough time these past few moon cycles, but sometimes she just felt completely unable to control herself. Well, once the cub came, she'd try to find a way to make things up to her friend. Until then, anything she tried to do could turn out badly because of her unpredictable mood swings. 

Feeling ravenous, Skyfire reached out for the ravvit. Just as she closed her hand over the still-warm body, she felt some unseen thing sting her hand. She released the ravvit and quickly withdrew her hand, inspecting it closely. There was a small puncture there, just below one of the knuckles. Her eyes were drawn back to the ravvit carcass when she saw a small black stingtail - what the Sun Folk called a scorpian - crawl on top of it. She instinctively reached for the knife, intending to kill the stingtail, when it stung her a second time.

* * *

Skywise was passing by Skyfire's hut with his three lovemates - Ruffle, Maleen, and Vurdah - when a black stingtail skittered from beneath the hide-covered entrance. 

"Watch out!" Skywise said, flinging his arms out to prevent the three maidens from moving forward and possibly getting stung. He heard a few gasps from behind him as the maidens took notice of the danger. He unsheathed his dagger and threw it with deadly accuracy, pinning the stingtail through the middle. He looked toward the hide-covered entrance the stingtail had come from - the very hut his sister shared with Nightfall and Redlance. Worry for his sister surged in his gut and, without speaking, he left his three lovemates standing there while he went into the hut to check on Skyfire. 

What Skywise saw chilled him to his very core despite the desert heat. Skyfire looked like she had been trying to get out of the sunken bed and had collapsed half-way out. Before he realized it, he was by her side and pulling her into his lap. 

"Skyfire?" he called, trying to gently shake her awake. When she didn't respond, he said her name a second time, even louder than before, and tapped the side of her face a few times with his open hand. 

Skyfire managed to open her eyes to little slits and looked up at Skywise. #Skywise, help! The cub...# Then she passed out. 

Skywise quickly wrapped Skyfire up in the blanket and carried her out of the hut. 

"Skywise..." one of his three lovemates said upon seeing him exit the hut. 

"Not now!" Skywise snarled. He rushed past the trio, heading for Cutter and Leetah's hut. The maidens watched him leave in surprise. He had never spoken so roughly to them before. Though, with his sister suddenly so ill, they supposed it was a good enough reason to explain his behaviour. 

Skywise sent to Cutter as he ran, hoping that his chief and Leetah were inside their hut. With the stingtail venom coursing through Skyfire's veins, she might not have the time if he had to go searching somewhere else for them. 

Cutter answered the send and was there to meet Skywise as he arrived, holding aside the beaded curtain as Skywise rushed past. 

Leetah was kneeling by the sunken bed, removing her bracelets to prepare for the healing. Skywise gently laid Skyfire in the circular pit bed and released her, moving back reluctantly. He would have continued to back away but stopped when he felt Cutter's strong hand grip his shoulder in a comforting manner. He looked over his shoulder at his soul brother, worry over his sister showing clearly in his eyes. 

#Don't worry, Skywise. Leetah's healing powers are stong, she will make Skyfire well again.# 

#But what of her cub? Because of the cord that connects them to each other, surely it was poisoned by the stingtail along with Skyfire.# 

#I... I don't know. Hopefully Leetah's power will stretch to heal them both.# 

Cutter's words did little to alleviate Skywise's worry. 

The two elves sat and watched as Leetah worked her healing magic for Skyfire. 

#Where are Redlance and Nightfall?# Cutter asked a moment later, having just realized that neither of the two elves were present. 

#I...# Skywise hesitated, thinking. #I don't know. They weren't in sight when I went to check on Skyfire and, in my panic after I found her, I didn't think to try sending to either of them.# 

Both elves turned back to the two maidens as Leetah came out of her healing trance. 

#I'll go look for them,# Cutter sent. 

Skywise merely nodded, his eyes trained on Skyfire as she slowly began to regain consciousness. 

Cutter knew his friend's mind was with his sister already so he got up and left without trying to speak to him further. 

As Cutter was leaving, Skywise got up from the floor and went to sit by Skyfire's side. He took her hand in his. "Skyfire?" 

She responded by opening her eyes and looking up at him, her gaze filled with a hazy confusion. "Skywise?" Her gaze shifted to the healer. "Leetah? What is going on?" She had trouble remembering what had happened. 

"You were stung by a black stingtail," Skywise told her gently. 

Fear suddenly flared in Skyfire's eyes. She looked down at her belly and clutched it with both hands. She found little reassurance in the familiar bulge. She looked to Leetah next. "My cub?" 

Leetah had trouble meeting Skyfire's eyes. She put her hands on Skyfire's belly, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the tiny being within. She already knew what her answer would be, but felt she owed it to Skyfire to at least try to sense for the cub. 

She tried, tried so hard that she thought she might pass out, but in the end she could feel nothing but the beating of Skyfire's own heart. Trembling now, Leetah slowly opened her eyes. "I'm sorry." She turned her head away, feeling shamed, as though it had been her fault that she could not have saved the cub. 

Skyfire howled in agony, the sting of loss striking her directly and immediately in her heart. When the howl ended, she threw herself into Skywise's arms and began to sob uncontrollably. How could the promising spark of life unborn have been extinguised so quickly? 

So deeply wrapped up in her own grief, Skyfire failed to notice when Cutter returned with Redlance and Nightfall, or when her two lovemates began to express their own grief over the loss of the cub. 

Skyfire cried until she could cry no more, rocked within the safety of Skywise's arms. Then, having exhausted herself, she slipped unwillingly into sleep. 

Skywise carried Skyfire back to her hut, a downcast Redlance and Nightfall trailing behind him. Villagers who encountered the small group on their direct path were quick to step aside and avert their gazes. They knew about the cub - the whole village knew by now - and were uncomfortable with having death so close to them. 

Inside the trio's hut, Skywise carefully lowered his sister into the same bed he had taken her from earlier with such frantic haste. As he started to draw back, he stopped and placed a hand on Skyfire's round belly. He prayed to the stars that her body would not hold the dead cub inside her much longer. Once her body was free of the reminder of her loss, she could begin to move past it. Perhaps, with no cub to nurse and care for, her body would force itself into another breeding cycle and she could make another cub to share with Redlance and Nightfall. Such was his reasoning.

* * *

Several days later... 

Skywise rose from the bed slowly, careful not to disturb his three lovemates. He couldn't say for sure what had woken him, but something was calling him from his rest. He tied his loin covering in place and grabbed his tunic off the floor, sliding it on as he strode to the entrance. He parted the beaded curtain and looked out onto the pre-dawn morning. No one was usually up at this time of day, so it was easy to spot Skyfire's wolf, Whitestar, moving between the huts. 

Curious as to why the wolf would be prowling around the village when the wolf pack as a whole tended to avoid it, he moved through the entrance and lowered the beaded curtain back into place. 

He followed the black wolf as she moved noiselessly between the huts, hiding behind one as Whitestar stopped in front of his sister's home. 

Skyfire, her belly still rounded with the unborn cub, soon stepped outside. She walked up to her bond wolf and embraced the thick neck, burying her face in the black fur and inhaling deeply. Wolf and rider remained frozen for a long moment. then Whitestar turned her massive head and swiped her tongue across Skyfire's ear. 

Skyfire let out a low, humorless giggle and raise her head. Skywise could see tears shining in her eyes. 

Skyfire mounted Whitestar's back, struggling to slide her leg over the spine because the cub bulge threw off her balance. Once she was firmly seated, Whitestar turned around and began to head back in the direction she'd come from. 

Skywise quickly back-pedalled and hid on the other side of the hut. He didn't want Skyfire to see him just yet. She was going somewhere with a purpose, one which he was unable to guess just yet. While he would not stop her, neither was he about to let her go off on her own. Especially not pregnant and suffering from the precarious mental state she'd been in since not long after being poisoned by the stingtail. 

As Whitestar carried Skyfire up into the mountains, Skywise began to wish he'd thought to grab more than the two items of clothing he wore. Like his boots and his sword, for starters. And maybe even his breeches. But he wouldn't go back for them now, especially not for something he could do without. 

Skywise kept up easily as he followed Whitestar's trail - whether wolf or rider was in charge of the destination, neither was in a hurry to reach it. 

The sun had been brightening the sky for roughly an hour when Whitestar and Skyfire finally stopped at a small oasis. The pond was three times the size of the hot water pool near the village and surrounded by boulders. 

Skyfire slid from Whitestar's back to the rock awkwardly, then moved to the other side and sat, disappearing from Skywise's view. Whitestar was quick to follow. 

Skywise continued to move forward, determined to find out from Skyfire why she had come alone to this place. He was willing to bet that Redlance and Nightfall had been unaware that she'd left. Even now, the pair might still be sleeping. 

Hidden by the rocks, Skyfire removed her clothing and laid the pieces in a single pile. Naked, she sat on the ground and turned to lean against her wolf's side. She shed silent tears into Whitestar's black fur, thinking of trhe reason that had driven her to come out here today, to come alone - well, not completely alone. Whitestar was with her. Her hands clenched in the wolf's dark pelt. 

Ever since Leetah had made her heart-wrenching announcement that Skyfire's cub had no spark of life, Skyfire had hoped that the healer had been wrong. But days had gone by without so much as even the tiniest flutter of a single limb. Her womb carried not life, as it should have, but death. Although that wouldn't be for much longer. Her birth spasms were coming, the cub would be squeezed from her body soon - before the sun was halfway to the highest point in the sky, unless she missed her guess. 

"Skyfire?" 

Her name, so gently spoken, almost escaped Skyfire's notice. Then it registered a brief moment later and she turned her head, instinctively searching for the source of the voice. But with the boulders next to her, all she could see was them and the sky. 

Skywise's head appeared almost direcly above her, his gaze finding her immediately. 

"Skywise? What are you doing here?" Skyfire felt an inexplicable prickle of fear tingle along her spine. 

"I followed you." Skywise jumped down, landing near Skyfire's feet. 

"I gathered as much," Skyfire said with a frown. 

Skywise moved to Skyfire's side. He knelt in one smooth motion and hauled her naked body into his embrace. 

Skyfire allowed the embrace with little resistance. 

"Why did you come here all alone?" Skywise spoke his question into Skyfire's hair, almost as if he were asking the question of the air rather than of his sister. 

Skyfire wimpered, unable to prevent the sound from escaping her throat. She opened her mouth to speak but found that she suddenly couldn't. #I... the cub, Skywise. It's my time. I didn't think anyone should have to share this with me...# 

Skywise tightened his hold on Skyfire. "I'll stay." 

#But- Skyfire began to protest. 

"I'll stay. How can I leave you, my sister? This is not something that you should face alone." 

Skyfire hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. Truthfully, she was grateful that Skywise had followed her. She did not truly wish to be alone, but felt it would have been wrong for her to ask another elf to be with her during this tragic time. And having Skywise with her was a double bonus, for he had experience - though minor - in the birthing of cubs. He had witnessed Cutter's birth, after. 

She clung to him for a seemingly endless moment, taking strength from his body and the wolf that lay so still at her back. Then her birth water broke, sending forth a gush of fluid from the opening between her legs. It was a curious sensation - almost like urinating except she had no control over it. She gasped. 

Skywise raised his head at the sound and looked down at Skyfire with some alarm. "What is it? Do you feel pain?" 

Skyfire shook her head. "No, no pain." None except the pain that felt like a knife stabbing her in the heart, she added silently to herself. "The birth waters have come." 

Skywise released Skyfire slowly and leaned her back against Whitestar's side. Once she was settled, her pale skin a shocking contrast to the she-wolf's black pelt, he moved down to her feet. He placed his hands under her knees, raised and parted them gently. Again, Skyfire offered no resistance. Skywise released Skyfire's legs and moved in between them, leaving enough distance to allow him to easily watch the place where the cub would emerge from without having to strain his neck. 

Skyfire kept her eyes trained on Skywise's head as her body worked to expell the cub. She took strength from his presence, from the sight of him. The muscles in her abdomen rippled with each contraction, which were blessedly painless - one of the gifts of being an elf. 

"I see the head," Skywise said not much later. "It's almost over now, sister." 

Skyfire could not bear to watch this part. She closed her eyes firmly and turned her head to one side. Whitestar whined pitiously and licked Skyfire's forehead. She knew her elf friend suffered but didn't know why or how she could possibly help. Skyfire refused to respond - all her energies now directed to expelling the cub and shielding her heart from the pain of the tremendous loss. 

Now that the head had appeared, the rest of the cub's body was quick to follow. It slid into Skywise's hands with ease, followed from the womb by one last small gush of birth water. 

Skywise stared down at the limp body now in his hands. A boy, he thought with a touch of sadness. Perfectly formed body - eight fingers, eight toes... The fact that the cub's skin was brown and the thatch of hair atop his head was pitch black meant nothing to the stargazer. So what did it matter now that Rayek had turned out to be the sire? What weighed most heavily on Skywise's troubled mind was that the cub had died before truly living. A tiny spark had been extinguished before having a chance to shine its light into other lives. 

A drop of water fell onto the cub's cheek. Surprised, Skywise looked skyward, expecting to see clouds gathered for a rain fall. When he found none, he realized with some surprise that it was a tear from one of his own eyes. More fell; he did nothing to stem their flow. There was no shame in crying, especially not over something such as this. 

Skyfire knew that the cub was no longer within her. Skywsie had not moved since it had slid into his rough hands, but still she could not bring herself to open her eyes to look at the cub. Maybe she thought deep down that it would seem less real to her if she did not know what the cub looked like, that it would be easier to forget. She wasn't sure. All she did know was that not even the weight of the two moons could force her to open her eyes and make her see. 

#Skywise, cut the cord, please...# She begged, nearly moaning her agony aloud. 

For a moment Skywise said nothing. Then a question fell from his lips. "Did you bring a blade with you?" 

Skyfire shook her head. She felt panic begin to rise within her chest, panic against the pain of feeling too much for a life lost before it had the chance to live. 

Skywise saw Skyfire fidget on the ground uncomfortably. Worried for her, he did the only thing he could under the circumstances - he lowered his head and severed the cord with his own teeth. Blood spurted in small amounts into his mouth. He swallowed it and continued to chewed through the cord, soon severing it. He raised his head again now that the task was done and spit out the bit of cord that had remained in his mouth. The blood he had accepted without thinking, but this flesh was for a mother's consumption only, to nourish her after the effort of birthing and to pass nourishment on to the cub through her breast milk. 

"It is done," Skywise said, sounding tired and full of defeat. 

"Take it away," Skyfire begged, her voice sounding harsh and choked. "I can't bear to see it." 

Skywise could not force Skyfire to see the cub if she didn't want to, even if he thought it was the wiser choice to make. He rocked back on his feet and stood. He took a quick look around and decided the best place to bring the cub was the other side of the pool, just past the boulders that lined the opposite side. There, Skyfire would not be able to see the cub's body even when she left the small oasis. He started to take a step when something surprising happened. 

Savah appeared over the middle of the water. Savah, yet not Savah, if that made any sense at all. Multicolored muted lights amassed in the form of the Mother of Memory's body. 

Skywise, so shocked by the sight, took a misstep and tripped over a small rock. He fell forward, unable to stop his forward momentum. The cub, still slippery with birth fluids, slid out of his hands and flew briefly through the air before landing in the water with a loud splash. 

"Savah!" Skywise yelped, sounding almost as if he was reprimanding the ancient elf for startling him. He quickly jumped into the pool and waded to the spot where he'd last seen the cub. It may be dead, but he wasn't about to leave its body to rot beneath the water. 

Skywise dove beneath the water's surface, quickly located the cub, and brought him back to the surface. 

"WAAAA! AWAAAH!" Tiny limbs flailed, protesting the rough treament that the whole body had just received. 

Skywise stared in open-mouthed amazement as Skyfire's cub proclaimed his living status with loud wailings. 

"Skywise!" Skyfire called out sharply to her brother. 

Skywise turned and began to wade back to Skyfire. She'd gotten up on her hands and knees, birth cord trailing between her legs, her eyes locked anxiously upon Skywise and her brown-skinned cub. 

When Skywise reached Skyfire, she took her cub eagerly from his arms. She fell back on her behind and examined the cub intently. She began to laugh and cry joyously, making noise to rival that of her son's. 

Skywise, suddenly remembering Savah's surprise appearance, turned to see if she was still there. She was, shedding sparkling tears of light even as she smiled. 

"That you, Savah," Skywise said. He bowed his head respectfully. 

#But I have done nothing, young Wolfrider,# Savah sent gently. #The cub was already alive, even if he didn't seem to be so. He must have been, else he wouldn't be breathing now. I think the scorpian poison merely paralized him, even his mind, to the point of death. And that's why neither Leetah nor myself could sense the spark of his life.# 

"But we do owe you thanks, Savah!" Skywise protested. "If the cub hadn't awakened, he would have been left here for any passing predator." 

Skyfire had calmed down from the initial shock of seeing her cub alive and was now putting him to her breast for his first suckle. Thankfully, his birth hunger matched his lusty wails and he latched on to her nipple almost immediately, beginning to nurse. Skyfire winced as his tiny, deceptively powerful gums clenched down on her nipple. Then the pain eased, to be replaced by a curious pleasure as her milk began to flow. 

#I cannot remain much longer,# Savah said. #It taxes my strength to appear before you thusly.# 

Skywise nodded in understanding. 

#I will let the Wolfriders know where you are so that they can come to you and bring you back to the village. Savah's body of light began to fade as she prepared to return to her body. 

Skyfire raised her head suddenly. "Savah, wait!" she cried. "Not yet!" 

With visible effort, it took some moments for Savah to bring her body of light back from its half-dissipated state to its full form. #What is it, child?# she asked, her voice both gentle and strained. 

"Without the Sun Folk, he..." she paused to indicate her cub with a nod of her head, "would not be here. He shall be raised as a Wolfrider, but I want him to have a Sun Folk name so that no one will ever forget just to whom his very existence is owed. I want you and Leetah to choose something fitting, then be there to greet us with it upon our return." 

Savah smiled and nodded. #So it shall be, child.# And with that, Savah was no longer able to remain. She totally faded out, her spirit returning to her body back at the village. 

Skywise hauled himself out of the pool and sat next to Skyfire, shielding both her and the cub from the sun as best he could. He placed a hand on her scarred shoulder and pressed his forehead to the side of her face. 

Skyfire turned her head and rubbed her cheek against Skywise's with a gentle, needy affection. 

Whitestar, tired now of being the patient back rest, wanted to inspect her elf bond's new cub. She got up, jostling the trio in the process. The cub's mouth slipped from Skyfire's nipple and he began to cry. Skyfire, rather than putting him back to her breast, raised him for Whitestar's perusal. 

Whitestar sniffed the dark-skinned cub from end to end, giving small licks as she went. Satisfied that the cub was sound, Whitestar sat back on her haunches and pulled her lips back in a wolfy grin, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.

* * *

Back in the Sun Village, the Wolfriders waited anxiously for Savah to come out of her trance. They had seen the tears falling from Savah's eyes when her body of light, miles away, had done the same. Something must have gone wrong, they thought, else why would she be crying? 

Redlance and Nightfall clung to each other in their sadness. They each blamed themselves for not waking and stopping Skyfire from leaving their shared hut earlier. Now they feared for their lovemate's life. 

As Savah's spirit re-entered her body, a deep, audible breath announced her return. She opened her eyes and wiped the tears from her face, taking a moment to compose herself before she spoke to those that had assembled before her. 

"Savah?" Cutter asked, taking a hesitant step toward the tall, regal elf. 

Savah raised her gaze to meet Cutter's and she smiled gently. "Mother and cub are both alive and doing quite well," she said with great joy. 

Choruses of "What?", "Huh?", "Mother AND cub?" were spoken with no small amount of surprise by the assembled Wolfriders. 

"Yes. I have seen them both. The boy has a good set of lungs on him." 

"A boy!" Nightfall asked. 

"A son!" Redlance cried. "We have a son!" He grabbed Nightfall's hips, raised her high in the air and swung her around in a tight circle. 

Nightfall laughed at her lifemate's antics. "Put me down, Redlance," she said between giggles. "Let's go get our new family." 

Family. The word had never sounded more sweet than it did at that moment. 

The party that went out to retrieve Skyfire and the cub arrived at the oasis in less than half the time that it had taken her and Skywise to get there - due mainly to two eager elves who raced their wolves all the way there.

* * *

When the oasis came into sight, Redlance and Nightfall began howling to announce their arrival. The chorus was taken up by the other Wolfriders and their wolves. 

Skywise leapt to the top of the rock and began to howl in reply, telling the tribe in wolf speak of where they were and that all was well. 

The retrieval party stopped and Redlance and Nightfall dismounted before the wolves had come to a stop. As the two elves passed Skywise to get to Skyfire and the cub, each nodded to him quickly and continued on their way. 

Skyfire was sitting with her legs crossed and her back against one of the boulders. She cradled the cub in her lap with Skywise's damp tunic draped over her front from shoulders to knees - creating a cool shelter for the cub to protect him from the sun's increasingly harsh rays. She looked up as her two lovemates crossed the boulders and came to kneel before her. She smiled at them, glad to see them, glad that they were finally with her. 

"Come look," Skyfire said when both the other two hesitated to remove the covering that hid the cub from view. "See our new son." 

It was Redlance who finally reached out to Skyfire's shoulders. He took Skywise's tunic in both his hands and pulled it away, then lowered it to the ground and allowed his eyes to feast on the sight of the tiny boy. 

Skyfire held the sleeping cub out for both of them to see. Nightfall gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Redlance reached out to touch the baby elf. He did not see the brown skin and black hair that proved the cub was not of his blood, what he saw was a tiny, breathing infant more beautiful than any he could ever recall having seen. He saw a cub that he could be a father to, be a teacher that would guide him through his cubhood until he claimed the mantle of a fully-grown adult and perhaps even beyond. 

Skyfire leaned forward and placed the cub in Redlance's arms. He looked shocked for a moment and continued to stare at the tiny being in absolute wonderment. The cub's body jerked, almost as if from some scary inner vision. He jerked again, then his eyes began to open. He blinked a few times and stared up at Redlance, looking as if he was surprised to see a new face. He gurgled and waved his tiny limbs around. Whether that was a sign of his approval or not was anyone's guess. 

Redlance felt suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. His whole body began to tremble and he bowed his head over the tiny, naked body cradled in his arms. He started to cry, his heart so filled with love that the excess emotion had to force itself out in other ways. His tears seemed to be contagious. The next thing he knew, Nightfall and Skyfire were both crying and clinging to him. 

The tears only began to stop flowing as the cub began to voice his displeasure at the situation. The three of them separated and Redlance handed the cub back to Skyfire once she'd raised the hem of her shirt to expose one pale breast. She put the cub to her breast so that he could feed. It hadn't been long since the last time he'd had his first suckle, but he hadn't fed long then. He accepted the offered nipple eagerly and clamped down with his gums and lips. 

Once assured that the cub was content, Skyfire turned her attention to her two lovemates. "I'm sorry for causing you worry. If I'd only known..." She looked down at the cub, then shook her head helplessly. 

"You couldn't have known," Nightfall said, placing a hand on Skyfire's shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort. "Not even Savah herself could find any life in the cub." She paused to think over her next words. "We would have shared his death with you, just as we would have - just as we will share his life. But my heart is glad that he lives." 

The three elves turned to watching the cub feed in silence for a few moments. 

"So what do we name this little one?" Nightfall asked as she stroked the cub's tiny fist. He opened his hand and gripped the finger, all while continuing to feed uninterrupted. 

"Well, what about-" Redlance had been about to make a suggestion only to have Skyfire swiftly press a hand against his mouh. 

"It is not for us to name this one." She removed her hand from Redlance's mouth and returned it to supporting the cub's lower body. "Savah and Leetah are deciding that now." When Redlance looked confused, she explained further. "Three times now this cub would not have existed without the Sun Folk. Leetah healed me and sent my body into an early breeding cycle when we first came here. I believe - now - that enough of Leetah's healing magic passed through my blood to the cub's to keep him from dieing from the stingtail poison. And if Savah hadn't startled Skywise into dropping him into the water-" Redlance and Nightfall gasped at hearing of the near disaster, "-then we wouldn't have known he was alive. We would have left his body behind for the first predator to come along." She didn't include Rayek being the cub's sire as one of the reasons for the cub's existence because Redlance could just as easily have been his sire - would have been, if she hadn't joined with Rayek. 

Skywise reappeared, poking his head over top of the small group. "You almost ready to go? Everyone is anxious to meet the cub." 

"Soon, brother," Skyfire replied, smiling up at him. "Once he's finished his feeding." 

"I'll let Cutter know," Skywise said. He passed a small bundle of hides to Redlance. "From Moonshade. To wrap up the cub... and the afterbirth," he explained. 

Redlance nodded as he accepted he bundle. He picked up Skywise's tunic and handed it to him. 

"Thanks," Skywise said just before he disappeared from view. He pulled it on and approached Cutter and the rest of the tribe. 

"She's just feeding him now," Skywise said to Cutter, speaking loud enough for the others to hear. 

"And they're both doing well?" Cutter asked. 

"Yes. I was worried about Skyfire during the birth - she couldn't bring herself to look at the cub at all, thinking that he was dead, but then... she took to him, just like a she-wolf with her first litter. And the cub..." Skywise raised his hands and stared at them with something akin to awe. "When I pulled him from the water, when I saw that he was alive... The feelings... Cutter, I couldn't even begin to describe what I felt." 

Cutter capped a hand on Skywise's shoulder and gave him a friendly little shake. "You've both done well today." 

When the new family was ready to leave, Nightfall carried the cub over the boulders while Redlance took charge of what remained of the afterbirth - Skywise had found a sharp rock to sever crude slices to feed Skyfire with while they'd waited - and kept a close eye on Skyfire just in case she needed help. 

Everyone was eager to get a look at the new cub, elves and wolves alike, and if anyone had a problem with his brown skin, black hair, and yellow eyes, they didn't share or show their opinions. In fact, they all seemed delighted by the tribe's newest member. Even Strongbow, who rarely expressed emotions outwardly - excluding all forms of anger - cracked a smile as the cub yawned hugely. 

When the Wolfriders arrived back in the village later, Savah and a heavily pregnant Leetah were waiting to greet them. Savah rarely ventured from her hut, especially during the day when it was so hot, but she had given her word that she would greet Skyfire upon her return with a fitting Sun Folk name for the boy cub. 

Skyfire, with Redlance and Nightfall by her side, walked up to where the two Sun Folk women waited, and silently presented the cub to them. Savah took the cub in her arms and peeled the blanket away from his face. Leetah placed a hand on Savah's arm and leaned in for a closer look. She had to sniff to hold back a few tears as unexpected emotions surged within her. A little replica of Rayek rested in Savahs hands. She hadn't known for sure that the cub was of Rayek's blood, not until this moment. She thought it was wonderful that a living, breathing piece of her life-long friend and former lovemate still existed in the Sun Village. 

After a few moments of gazing at the child, Savah raised her eyes and looked directly at Skyfire. "Mathias. For an elf that lived here long ago, who was known for taming scorpians - or stingtails, as you call them." 

Skyfire considered it a moment. "Mathias," she said, nodding her approval. 

"Bringing a cub back from death," Skywise whispered to Cutter a short distance away. "It'll be hard for you to top that." 

Cutter smiled. "Wait and see, soul brother." 

A few days later, Leetah bore twins - a boy to be named Suntop for his sunny yellow hair, and a girl to be named Ember for similar reasons.

* * *

Author's Note: For those of you that don't know, Mathias is the name of the Rock in the movie, the Scorpian King. I thought it appropriate, and it sounded elfish enough by Sun Folk standards that it wouldn't seem out of place. 

Also, This is the last story I wrote in advance for the Power of One series. I still have plans to continue it for many years into the EQ timeline, but at this point I will be typing up all the stories for Alternaverse and getting them onto the site so that it will be caught up. Hopefully it won't take long and I can continue with both universes. 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your praise and feedback are much appreciated. It wouldn't be wort all the time and effort I've put into this if there weren't people out there to enjoy what I've written. 


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